CAD$33.95 (P)
Paperback

Looking for an examination copy?

This title is not currently available for examination. However, if you are interested in the title for your course we can consider offering an examination copy. To register your interest please contact collegesales@cambridge.org providing details of the course you are teaching.

Throughout human history, the world's knowledge and fruits of the creative imagination have been produced, circulated and received through the medium of the material text. This Companion provides a wide-ranging account of the history of the book and its ways of thinking about works from ancient inscription to contemporary e-books, discussing thematic, chronological and methodological aspects of this interdisciplinary field. The first part considers book cultures from local, national and global perspectives. Part two, organized around the dynamic relationship between the material book and the mutable text, develops a loosely chronological narrative from early writing, through manuscript and early printing, to the institution of a mechanized book trade, and on to the globalization of publishing and the introduction of the electronic book. A third part takes a practical turn, discussing methods, sources and approaches: bibliographical, archival and reading experience methodologies, as well as pedagogical strategies.

Provides an accessible but challenging introduction to the field, with contributions from leading international scholars

Discusses a wide range of approaches from thematic, chronological and methodological perspectives

Includes a chronology, glossary of technical terms and guide to further reading

Reviews & endorsements

"Francis Bacon said 'some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly'. This book is firmly in the latter category. My own copy is already looking somewhat mauled and well used, with ample marginalia, highlighted lines and references, and bookmarks sticking out of key sections. I cannot think of a better way to show how highly I recommend it."
Samantha J. Rayner, English

'As a whole, the collection accomplishes what it sets out to do: it is an effective introduction to the field and its issues and practices, and it points the way toward new and exciting developments.'
Marta Kvande, Papers of the Fall Bibliographical Society of Canada

How do you rate this item?

Product details

Date Published: December 2014

format: Paperback

isbn: 9781107625099

length: 302pages

dimensions: 226 x 150 x 23 mm

weight: 0.41kg

contains: 3 b/w illus.

availability: Available

Table of Contents

Chronology 1. The study of book history Leslie Howsam Part I. Book Cultures, Local, National and Global:2. Books in the library Karen Attar 3. Books in the nation Trish Loughran 4. Books in global perspectives Sydney Shep Part II. The Material Book and the Mutable Text:5. Materials and meanings Peter Stoicheff 6. Handwriting and the book Margaret J. M. Ezell 7. The coming of print to Europe Adrian Johns 8. The authority and subversiveness of print in early modern Europe Cyndia Clegg 9. The industrial revolution of the book James Raven 10. The book in the long twentieth century Alistair McCleery 11. The digital book Jon Bath and Scott Schofield Part III. Methods, Sources and Approaches to the History of the Book:12. Book history from descriptive bibliographies Michael F. Suarez, S.J. 13. Book history from the archival record Katherine Bode and Roger Osborne 14. Book history in the reading experience Mary Hammond 15. Book history in the classroom Leslie Howsam Glossary of technical terms Guide to further reading.

Look Inside

Editor

Leslie Howsam, University of Windsor, OntarioLeslie Howsam is University Professor in the Department of History at the University of Windsor, Ontario. She is author or editor of seven significant books and numerous articles, most notably Old Books and New Histories: An Orientation to Studies in Book and Print Culture (2006) and Past into Print: The Publishing of History in Britain, 1850–1950 (2009).

You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be
completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue
page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.